Method of knitting



DCC 4, 1962 LE ROY J. BRooKE METHOD oF KNITTING 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 6, 1959 v www J 5C/VW@ R WVMVHWMWWWU H QVWWQWW H HEM R www@ A TTRNE Y NM/ S Dec. 4, 1962 LE ROY J. BROOKE 3,066,511

METHOD OF' KNITTING Filed April 6, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. LEROY J. BROOKE 4A TTORNEY' United States Patent Ofice Patented Dec. 4, ldt? 3,666,5li METHOD GF KNHTHNG Le Roy .Iarncs Brooke, Chicago, iii., assigner to Wiidrnan Jacquard Co., Norristown, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Apr. d, 1959, Sci'. No. Sott-,234 3 Claims. im. 66--8'd) This invention pertains to a method of knitting in straight bar, fashioning type knitting machines and more particularly, to a method of feeding and measuring yarn, drawing it into stitches to form rib fabric and to the formation of a particular selvage for such rib fabric.

It is a general object of the invention to devise a method of knitting rib fabric effectively in a united needle machine such as a full fashioning type knitting machine and of forming selvages which shall be of good appearance, strong and efficiently produced.

A more specic object is that of devising such a method which shall be better adapted to function in the making of ribbed goods in these machines and which will simplify the yarn feeding and measuring processes while at the same time, it makes possible superior selvages.

It is a further object to accomplish the above mentioned objects in the knitting of ribbed fabric which is transferred directly to jersey work in a single machine.

Other objects will become apparent from the following more detailed disclosure.

In knitting rib fabric on flat bar, fashioning type machines, one system devised by the present applicant involves the use of a needle bar carrying what will be termed jersey needles and which really comprises relatively fiXed and movable bar sections. By means of this, when all needles are in active position, the machine may knit normal, jersey fabric.

A second bar is also provided having a second group of needles, preferably of latch type, which are angularly disposed to the needles in the first mentioned bar and which may cooperate with spaced ones of the needles rst mentioned to knit rib fabric. These spaced needles are carried in the relatively fixed bar section while intermediate needles carried in a movable section are displaced to an inactive relationship. While these bar sections are referred to as relatively fixed and movable, it is to be understood that the entire bar structure is reciprocated in the stitch drawing cycle, but that the fixed portion always bears a definite relationship to other parts at it is so moved while the movable section may, at will, be moved as an active needle carrying part of the main bed or bar or may merely move as a part of that bar structure, but while occupying an inactive or ineffective relationship to other parts as far as knitting goes.

The intermediate needles are brought into play when knitting jersey material and the needles in the second bar are so devised as to have their rib stitches taken off by these intermediate needles. In this type of machine yarn is fed, first in one direction and then the other, to the needles in the first mentioned bar and as fed, sinkers kink it about needle Shanks in a known way to measure otf the amount of material needed for stitches. In the event jersey material is knitted, each sinker kinks yarn about each needle, but when knitting rib work yarn is kinked about every other needle and the needles in the second bar take their stitches from the material measured by two sinkers between non-adjacent needles. By nonadjacent needles reference is made to alternate needles, for example, an intermediate needle is to be considered as removed from action. An alternate and the next intermediate needle are considered as being adjacent.

In feeding such yarn a carrier is set to cover a definite span of needles and, of course, a selvage will be formed at each edge as the carrier returns. In jersey Work a single sinker functions between two adjacent needles and no particular difficulty at the edges and end needles is experienced. However, in rib work a different situation is apparent. Diiculties experienced include lack of a substantial and smooth or finished selvage, needle breakage and in general, unsatisfactory feeding and stitch formation at end needles.

In an arangement as herein set out, the end needles in any width of material being formed should be those about which sinkers kink the yarn, here the spring beard needles in the relatively fixed part of the bar. Accordingly, the movable bar portion is of width dependent upon the extent of the rib work and needles at the end sections of the fixed bar are used for the selvages.

In practice l X l rib is knitted in the center portion while three spring beard needles at each side serve in the selvage formation although it is conceivable that two or more than three may be utilized. The selvages then are formed of two jersey wales, it being understood that extreme needles do not actually form a wale.

The invention will be described in greater detail by reference to one specific embodiment the invention may take as illustrated in the accompanying figures of drawing, wherein:

FIG. l is a section taken through needle and sinker bars and other appurtenant parts of a fashioning type knitting machine to which the invention has been applied;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing kinking the yarn in the process of knitting rib fabric;

FIG. 3 shows a fabric knitted according to the invention; and

FIGS. 4-7 illustrate diagrammatically the manner in which the fabric is knitted and a selvage formed.

Now referring to FIGS. l and 2, the knitting machine to which the invention has been applied is of the single unit, straight bar, full-fashioned type in which sinkers or sinkers and dividers cooperate with spring beard needles to knit jersey material. Such a machine has a number of yarn carriers, eg., five or more, which lay a yarn or yarns to be measured and drawn into stitches. It may also comprise means to fashion the fabric by widening or narrowing it in a known manner and also, a pattern controlled means, e.g., a picot bar, to transfer laterally or otherwise redispose stitches for purposes of ornamentation or to render the fabric resistant to running. Such a machine is illustrated and described in detail in United States Patents i,982,991 and 2,237,602 and these, thus incorporated by reference, make it unnecessary to insert herein details of the general aspects of the construction and operation of such a knitting machine.

While the invention is particularly applicable to a straight bar machine in which a single, required width of material may be knitted, that is, a so-called single-unit machine, it is, of course, equally applicable to multiunit machines in which a number of knitting heads function through common actuating and control members to produce a number of blanks or pieces of material simultaneously.

The machine comprises among other parts a main needle bar 2i) in slots in which are fixed a number of spring beard needles 2li having butts 22 and being clamped in position by a clamping bar 23. These needles Zi are the alternate needles above mentioned and a number of intermediate needles 2d equally spaced between those alternate needles have butts 25 set in a slot in an auxiliary needle bar 26. This bar is vertically slidable within a space between the main bar 2@ and clamping member 23, as shown, and is controlled by mechanism shown in greater detail in FIG. l. However, it is carried by screws 27 vertically slidable in guide slots: (not shown) in the clamping member 23. The needles 24 may slide vertically in guide slots in the main bar so that when moved to uppermost position, they present a complete complement of spring beard needles of -any gauge desired and serve to knit jersey fabric of corresponding quality and texture for that gauge.

According to one preferred practice, intermediate needles are not as thick as the alternate ones so that with uniformly wide slots in the needle bar, the intermediate needles may work easily in their slots, although it is possible to use needles of uniform thickness and to cut intermediate slots one or two thousandths of an inch wider. However, the intermediate needles do have to be drawn down to a position in which their wider part, i.e., the grooved portion enters the slots in the main bar. For that reason, the upper part of these slots is cut out to an extra width.

When bar Z6 is drawn downwardly to its lower position in the main bar, intermediate needles are pulled down to an inactive level and play no part at all in the knitting process. Of course, loops on those needles must be cast olf or transferred to other needles before the auxiliary bar can be thus drawn down.

The auxiliary bar 26 when moved downwardly need not be stopped in a precise position, but in its uppermost position, it strikes against a shoulder or other abutment very precisely positioned to limit its movement so that all needle hooks shall be disposed at the same elevation. Here a shoulder a on bar 26 engages against a shoulder b on the bar 2li. lf desired an adjustment may be provided to obviate the need for too precise machining.

The main oar Ztl is carried upon a system of cam operated levers and links as in the patents above made of record and the needles are thus caused to pass through a stitch drawing or other cycle. The usual controls are available for setting the stitch length and for making other adjustments.

A sinker head base Z9 is slotted for sinkers 3d having notches 3l and nibs 32 for the usual purpose. A sinker head cover 33 retains these parts in place. As is the usual practice sinkers are controlled positively and are projected inwardly in a stitch measuring wave by a slur cock (not shown). rthere is a sinker in the space between each of needles 2l and 24 and these are all ernployed as jack sinkers there being no dividing sinkers necessary.

Knock-over bits 34 are carried in a bar 3S and function in the accepted fashion. rfhese are operated in a conventional manner but have specially shaped noses.

Above the needle assemblage a picot bar 36 carries a complement of points 37 and these may be swung into and from an active position according to requirement and means is provided for causing the points to dip, to take loops from needles and drop them off as in effecting a loose course, or to transfer those Loops laterally and to place them on other needles as for rurrresist work or for making eyelets or other ornamental effects.

Of course, narrowing points and their control are also employed, but since these are not directly a part of the improvements herein described and claimed, further description is not necessary here.

ln carrying out the objects of the instant invention, a second needle bed and a second bank of needles are provided, these being so controlled and the bed so disposed that they function at more or less right angles to the needles 2l and 24 and also may be withdrawn to a position where they are out of action entirely.

While the needles 2l and 2d, jersey needles, are of bearded type and require pressing, that being effected against the press bar of the sinker head, it is preferred that this second bank of needles 33, rib needles, be of the latch type. Of course, if spring beard needles are to be used, they must be pressed although according to the system herein described, no sinker for the rib needles even if they were of bearded type, would be required.

Since transfer of stitches from these rib needles to the jersey needles is to be effected, these needles must be provided to accomplish that and, according to a preferred manner of carrying out the objects of the invention, the latch needles are provided with transfer clips 39. These are riveted or otherwise attached to the Shanks of their needles and have points ttl and a shouldered part 41 bowed away from the needle so that when projected inwardly, a loop on the needle will be penetrated by the clip point and spread laterally. The needle is provided with a shoulder to prevent the loop sliding too far back and to make certain that the loop is accurately positioned to be penetrated by the jersey needle as the latter rises through the space between needle shank and clip. While a single needle has been referred to by way of illustration, it is to be understood that the entire group of needles, both rib and jersey, function en masse and thus, for whatever width of material and gauge of needles are employed, a relatively great number of stitches are not only drawn simultaneously, but are also transferred in a similar fashion. The rib needles are not shown in greater detail here as they are of similar type to that shown in United States Patent No. 2,326,694.

ln knitting this -rib work it is, of course, possible to knit with needles only insofar as the latch or rib needles are concerned since the yarn is measured by the sinkers and is laid in a position to be taken within lthe hooks of both banks of needles. However, a special cast ofi plate 42 is provided and this has orecuts at 43 within which the shanks of needles 3S are slidably maintained. These orecut ends comprise surfaces against or over which rib loops may be drawn and also assure that each rib stitch shall be cast ott as intended.

This cast olf plate 42 is carried in a bar 4d which is, in turn, pivoted at 45 at each end. These pivots are supported at the upper ends of arms 46, one at either side, and springs d?, or other suitable means are provided to maintain the cast oftc plate in an upwardly directed pressure relationship with the needles 4t2.

While the needle bar 20, sinkers and knockover bits are actuated more or less conventionally by cams and linkages to transmit movements from the cams to said parts, the control of the rib needles, their cast olf plate and for the auxiliary needle bar 26 is taken from a cam shaft and through means described in copending application Serial No. 699,345.

The needles 38 are clamped between a needle bar 48 and clamping plate i9 and are actuated through arms 50 `of levers pivoted at 5l and to the upper ends `of which the bar 48 is pivoted at 52.

Cast olf plate d2 is moved to and fro by arms 46 and is maintained at prescribed elevations by arms 53 pivoted at 54 and connected to the plate by links 55. These levers and arms are actuated by appropriate cams described in the application above noted.

The auxiliary bar 26 is also raised or depressed according to control means described in that application.

According to the system employed, rib fabric such as a 1 x l rib cult or the like, is knitted by the conjoint action of needles 2l, sinkers Sil and needles 38, see FIG. 2 particularly. Yarn Y is fed by a carrier such as that of the two patents, rst cited, and is sunk or kinked as shown about the Shanks of needles 21; by the sinkers on the nibs of which it lies. Then the needles 38 are brought into position with their hooks below the sunk yarn as it lies on these nibs at the spaces Where intermediate needles are out of action. The latches of these rib needles are opened at that time. Upon retraction of sinkers when needles 38 have taken the yarn the needles are drawn to form stitches. Of course, the rib material is taken up positively and at that time the carrier will beV reciprocated to and fro over an extent commensurate with the width of rib material desired and preferably, the movable section of the needle bar in which intermediate needles, are held is of just sufficient width for the rib work.v

It has been found that a better selvage results if end needles 21 adjacent t-he last rib needle 38 at each end are backed up by at least one and preferably two jersey needles. Thus provision is made for one needle 24 next that end needle 21, or better still, between two such needles 21 as shown at the right end of FIG. 2. In that figure and as described here, details at one end only are presented, but it is to be understood that the opposite end is similarly treated.

In laying this yarn Y from left to right, the carrier passes the three adjacent needles at the right end and the yarn is kinked by all sinkers illustrated so that stitches are measured about three jersey needles very much as would be done in jersey work. Thus end needles are not unduly bent and the selvage formed will be a jersey sel- Vage or two wales of jersey material. This is shown in FIGS. 2 and 4.

Now rib needles are brought in to take their material and all needles acting draw a stitch, the sinkers having been retracted, FIG. 5. The kink at the right of end needle 21 is thus lost. Also, that end needle, when its beard is pressed and the needle drawn, casts off its stitch which disappears since it was never drawn through anything. Its bight of yarn merely becomes a connecting selvage bight S carrying on to the start of the next course. As the carrier returns to the left, its yarn misses the extreme needle 21.

In FIG. 6 the result of the stitch drawing is evident. Needles 21 and 24 numbered therein form two adjacent, jersey wales at the fabric edge.

In FIG. 7 the carrier has been moved in the opposite direction to feed to the left and the cycle will be repeated to form a like selvage in a similar manner at the other edge of the fabric.

Referring to FIG. 3, a section of fabric is shown and includes courses 56-60 and wales which are denoted by the letters I and R which indicate that they are either jersey or rib wales depending upon whether or not they are drawn by spring beard or jersey needles 21 (sometimes referred to as frame needles) or yby rib `or latch needles 38. As can be seen the center section of the fabric is of 1 X 1 rib construction up to course 61 where transfer is made to jersey work while the selvages comprise two wales of jersey or plain material. This gives a strong and smooth appearing edge which is easily sewn. The fabric further results from and cooperates in the method which does not involve an undesired straining, bending and possible breaking of the selvage needles yet works into the novel scheme utilized here for knitting a rib cuff `or the like with selvage and then transferring to jersey work which may easily be shaped by narrowing and widening. The selvage of the rib work is easily conformed to that of the jersey material knitted in continuation and, in fact, there is no real point of departure at the edges in which one may see a line lof demarcation at the selvages and thus in later handling and seaming operations there is no diculty as the edge `of the part sewed is all jersey work and uniformly constructed.

While two jersey wales are preferably formed at each edge, a greater width of that material may be knitted in some instances. Of course, gauge of instrumentalities, material worked upon and other factors enter into this and affect or dictate the precise construction which may be vfound most desired.

While one embodiment of the invention has 'been disclosed, it is to lbe understood that the inventive concept may be carried 4out in a number of ways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to embrace all variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A method of knitting a flat knit, rib fabric which comprises the steps of feeding yarn to a plurality of needles, sinking said yarn about needle shanks and drawing loops thus measured into jersey and rib stitches and forming selvages by sinking said yarn about a plurality of adjacent needles drawing jersey stitches, stitches drawn by the outermost needle being cast off that needle without being drawn through any previously knitted stitch.

2. A method of knitting a ilat knit, rib fabric which comprises the steps of feeding yarn to a plurality of jersey needles having rib needles operable in at least some of the spaces between said jersey needles, sinking said yarn about the shanks of jersey needles and then drawing stitches of the measured yarn by both jersey and rib needles and forming selvages by measuring and drawing stitches at two, at least, of the jersey needles without any rib needle operable between them, stitches drawn by the outermost needle being cast off that needle without being drawn through any previously knitted stitch.

3. A method of knitting a hat knit, rib fabric which comprises the steps of feeding yarn to a plurality of spring beard needles having latch needles operable in at least some of the spaces between said spring beard needles and sinking said yarn about the shanks of spaced spring beard needles and then drawing stitches of the measured yarn by both spring beard and latch needles and at the selvages, sinking said yarn about three, at least, contignous spring beard needles and drawing said yarn into stitches to form two immediately adjacent jersey wales, stitches drawn by the outermost needle being cast off that needle without being drawn through any previously knitted stitch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain 1888 

